Moriya vs Iruel
Grom and Ana stood over the body with grim looks on their faces. It was hard to tell what to make of this, given their doubts about Iruel recently, but the body in front of them was unmistakable. Their recent guests' commander and mentor, Dumah, laid dead on the bed in front of them. Surrounded by medics, his wounds were too grevious to mend. The elderly paladin rode up to the gates, where he collapsed off his mount. According to the guards, the only words that escaped him were "betrayed" and "Turel". Piecing the clues together was a guessing game at best, but Grom had been suspecting the Elven paladin for some time now, and his conclusion came easily enough although Ana wasn't completely convinced yet. Dumah's body was riddled with what Drake had concluded were axe and dagger wounds. Not quite the clean cuts that Turel was known for, but Grom saw no reason to give Turel the benefit of the doubt. The paladin had conveniently departed only a couple days prior, along with Malek and the Alojas, but Grom had alerted his guards anyway, feeling that there was no such thing as being too careful in a situation like this. More guards had been sent to distract Sebashin while Leah was taken into custody for questioning, and Grom was trying to get Ana to send the same for Zephon, to which she relunctantly agreed. They had barely made it out of the room, however, when a guard came running down the halls to alert them. "My lord, we are under attack! Iruel's armies approach over the hills!" Grom's eyes narrowed and he turned to his personal guard, shouting out orders as he took hold of Ana's hand. He would soon be out on the front lines himself, but he insisted that Ana stay with the children. They raced through the hallways on their way to their quarters to secure their children while the rest of the castle was placed on lockdown. From there, it would prepare for attack. Outside the castle, Xellos and Krull stood at the forefront of Iruel's army. They had tried to convince the Order that the two of them would be enough to handle Grom and his army, but Iruel had seen fit to escort the two paladins with a cadre of Inquisitors. Turel and Malek, perhaps best equipped to stop them, would not be defending the castle, and therefore Xellos felt quite confident about their success today. "Remember our mission," the grey haired paladin remarked, "and don't get caught up in unnecessary fights. We have but one objective here." Krull smirked. "Do what you will, Xellos. The king and the whelp are mine. No orc may look down upon us, and the Order has suffered its traitors long enough. Xellos raised a brow as he let out a slight chuckle. "Always the zealous one, Krull. We are angels of death, my friend. I shall certainly not keep you from enjoying your work, but do not become so consumed that you do anything foolhardy." Krull stared at the castle silently in response, finally taking a deep breath. He turned to one of the catapults that had rolled up and pushed aside the soldiers that were operating it to take hold of one of the stones in his oversized hand and stepped out in front of the others. His heavy gauntlets began to glow with the holy fire that empowered them, quickly igniting the flammable fluid that coated it. With a grunt, he drew his arm back before lunging the stone toward the castle. It struck the wall with a large explosion, sending the guards scrambling. Xellos grinned and pulled his mask down over his face, covering it with the visage of a skull. As the catapults rained fiery stones against and into the castle, Grom shouted orders to the soldiers, demanding that they reinforce a collapsing wall, or man the arrow towers to fire on the troops that were advancing. While most of the troops were concentrating on the battle in front of them, Grom caught the sight of a skull faced man soaring overhead. He appeared to be gliding on some sort of winged constructs, and was advancing quickly toward the castle. Before he could shout for the archers to focus on him, the man flew within the walls and moving in to land on one of the many open balconies. Grom growled audibly and placed one of his lieutenants in charge, heading back into the castle with his axe in hand. Xellos unhitched the scythe from his back and slipped into the castle from the balcony he landed on. The residents of the room shrieked and began to run out, but Xellos walked through calmly. The lavish room, so different from his surroundings in Iruel, reminded him of all he thought was wrong with these people. Far removed from pious faith, the decadence of Moriya wouldn't last much longer if the Archbishop had his way. Here in the upper levels of the castle, he would have some time to carry out his mission before he was interrupted. It seemed that Grom had left the front at an inopportune time, as Iruel's soldiers poured through a break in Moriya's walls. The painstaking training that Drake had mandated among Moriya's soldiers was paying off as they slew large numbers of the invading army, but the determination and power of Iruel was more than apparent this day. The castle defenders were steadily forced aside, allowing several Inquisitors to hack their way through and into the castle proper. With powerful enchantments protecting them from magic, these men were here to ensure that Moriya's more powerful defenders would be unable to turn the tide of battle. They poured through the main hall and adjoining passage ways, resisted at every turn by guards and soldiers to slow their progress. With Grom searching for the mysterious intruder, and Drake directing the battle elsewhere, the upper halls would soon fall victim to the invading soldiers. Ana, despite her desire to protect her children, would not allow this to happen. Gathering her personal guard, she moved down the stairs from the upper towers to head off any soldiers working their way up. Shouting and the sounds of battle in the staircase ahead alerted her to the sound of incoming enemies, and the saw the bloodstained banner of Iruel on the shields and chests of the figures emerging from the stairwell. Ana drew her her sword, as did her guards, and with a battlecry that would have made her husband proud, she leapt forth to force back her adversaries. With a swiftness and strength uncharacteristic of her years, she cut through several of the foot soldiers, likely shaking their resolve for the first time since they had begun their attack. The Inquisitor that was with them, however, appeared to rekindle their spirit, through fear or inspiriation, as he engaged the queen. The man's strength was considerable for his size, and Ana was soon forced into a defensive position with the Inquisitor and two other soldiers attacking her. Though her guards would likely soon finish with their foes and come to her assistance, what happened next was more relieving than she would admit. Zephon's body barreled into the Inquisitor shoulder first to knock him off his guard before the tall elf swung his halberd into the surprised guard, nearly shearing through his victim's armor. How he had escaped the confinement Grom had ordered was anyone's guess, but his actions made his choice of alliegiance clear. His satisfied grin at having come to his Queen's rescue didn't last long, as he became locked in combat again with the Inquisitor again. Their fight quickly moved back toward the stairwell, with Zephon struggling to ward off his foe's quick attacks. Though unable to use his magic, Zephon knew he could overpower the man, but as he drew back to strike hard, the Inquisitor ducked and lunged forward, forcing Zephon against and through the window. The inquisitor grinned at his success, but like Zephon's grin it didn't last long, as his lack of attention gave Ana the opportunity to run him through with her sword. She pushed the body aside and shouted to her guards to send someone after Zephon before she moved to the window to stare worriedly at her loyal paladin amidst the broken glass and broken bodies around her. Continuing to move through the castle, Xellos came across meagre resistance, as nearly all of Moriya's defenders were busy on the lower levels pushing his allies out of the castle. He swung his scythe back, whipping blood from his last victim across the stone wall before moving to a door handle. Before he could secure his hand around the latch, however, he felt himself forced away from it by a strong gust. Quickly turning to discover its source, he saw the umistakable form of a woman, framed by large black wings. The brief look of excitement he wore was hidden under his mask, but the woman saw his smirk as he lifted it off his face. "You aren't supposed to be here..." Rosetta's voice called out. She didn't dare drop her guard as she examined Xellos, her hands ready to unleash her next spell. "What are you doing here?" She demanded. "I am here for Leliel," he responded calmly, "Though I imagine you already knew that." "Over my dead body, you self righteous bastard!" Rosetta growled, growing visibly angry. Her wings began to flare out and swirls of black energy gathered around her hands. "You and your Order have plagued us long enough!" Her shout was accompanied by a rapidly moving blast from her hands, missing Xellos by a hair as he ducked. His mask slipped back over his face as he sprung forward, drawing his scythe back to strike at her. As he swung, she disappeared in a flurry of black feathers, causing Xellos to swing harmlessly through the air. When she reappeared behind him and moved to prepare a spell, she found herself blinded by a sudden flash of light. Raising her hands instinctively to shield herself from the brightness, the next thing she saw was Xellos right in front of her, his finger outstretched toward her forehead. "Ovidi nuvoro kah." His voice rang out as his finger made contact with her forehead. After only a brief gesture of resistance in which she pulled her head back, her eyes went blank. Her tense stance eased and her body slumped slightly, allowing Xellos to relax as well as a grin crossed his face beneath the mask. "There now, that is better, is it not? A delicate prize like yourself has no business fighting, do you?" He asked the unresponsive angel smugly, reaching up to brush his hand along her cheek before patting it slightly. "Now, find Leliel and take her to Iruel. I have others to tend to." Zephon had hit the ground hard, but he steadily rose to his feet. He had lived through worse, and his armor had cushioned most of the damage. Besides, there were more of Iruel's troops to fight, and so his duty to his queen was not yet finished. He slowly gathered his halberd and began to turn back toward the castle when a deep voice taunted him from behind. "Well, well... Imagine my luck," the voice chuckled as Zephon turned to see its source. Krull wore a wicked grin. the huge gauntlets he wore were already clenched, as if Zephon had any reason to think the oversized paladin would hold back. He had little time to assume his stance before Krull roared and pounded the ground with both his fists. Rather than a direct attack, however, Krull had summoned a tall ring of fire around them, apparently keeping good on his word to Xellos about having Zephon to himself. Unfortunately for the younger elf, it meant that no one would be able to assist him either. Deciding there was little advantage to waiting for Krull's attack, Zephon charged forward, swinging his halberd in a powerful arc. To his surprise, Krull blocked almost effortlessly with his gauntlet, and reacted with a backhand across Zephon's face. Not allowing the young elf to stagger away, Krull grabbed him by the hair and slammed his fist into Zephon's head again, hitting him several times before Zephon managed a slash across Krull's armored midsection, gaining himself a temporary equal ground. Zephon powerful flame attacks were met by Krull's own, with his otherwise overpowering strikes brushed aside by the experienced and durable paladin. Still in pain from the fall, his every attempt to attack Krull was met with pain, both from his aching body as well as the other paladin's fierce retaliation. Though they seemed equal for a short time, Krull soon gained the advantage again, pounding his smaller foe into the ground. He slammed his fists onto Zephon's back, bludgeoning his armor until it fell apart. Zephon's meager attempt to reach up and attempt to form a fireball saw his forearm crushed in Krull's strong palm. His howls of pain were drowned out by the surrounding sounds of battle and the roar of the flames surrounding them. Krull picked Zephon's broken body up by the head with both his hands, knowing the fight was his. "Fire washes flesh from bone as it washes sin from the soul. At least in death, your burning corpse shall show its proper devotion. With your stolen powers burned out, do you have any last words before I extinguish your life?" Zephon's lips moved, as his hands moved to weakly grip at Krull's gauntlets, though the latter couldn't hear his words. "Speak up, whelp," he demanded, with any hint of pleasure he had gotten from the fight gone behind his grim scowl. Zephon raised his eyes weakly up to Krull's, now wearing a faint smile. "You idiot..." "What?!" Krull growled as he narrowed his eyes. He focused his energy in his gauntlets to disintegrate his prey, but found that he couldn't. "What is this? What have you done?" Zephon found his footing, still gripping Krull's gauntlets. Though his body was wracked with pain, he forced them apart, pushing back against his foe's considerable strength. "With all that posturing you've done about how I stole my powers, you didn't learn anything, did you? Rather than finish me, you allowed a blood elf the time to drain the power out of your gauntlets." Don't ever think you can put out my flame, because as long as the world burns, I'll never grow cold." Krull's panicked expression was precious, and though Ana might disapprove of what he did next, the overflow over power from Krull's divine weapon had left Zephon only one outlet. Fire radiated off of Zephon's body, and he released the energy he absorbed back into their source, causing Krull's body to explode in flame. All that remained was a mass of charred bones and the hulking gauntlets, which proved too heavy for Zephon to hold onto. Utterly exhausted and injured beyond conciousness, he dropped the gauntlets with a clang and fell to his knees, collapsing onto the ground lifelessly. It wasn't long before Mira and Thurrin had joined the battle outside where they could employ their powerful Nigh Elven magic to scatter and bring down masses of enemies. With more and more of Iruel's troops being forced back, Xellos was finally feeling pressured for time. With Rosetta seeing to his primary objective, he had to attempt to silence the other paladins. He had been closing in on one for some time now, following the unmistakeable energy that all of Iruel's paladins radiated, and finally came to a door. He swung his scythe across the door handle to destroy the lock and kicked the door open to find Leah clutching her son with Sebashin beside her. "Oh isn't this precious," Xellos said with amused laughter. "Who is this meek little man, Leah? And is that your child? My, my... you have fallen." Sebashin had grabbed a sword during the attack, moved to push Leah and their son behind him. "I'll handle him.. get Elwin out of here!" he demanded. Leah knew her husband would go to any length to protect her, but she and Xellos knew that Sebashin wouldn't be able to stand up to a paladin's magic. She shook her head and stepped forward placing the baby into his arms. "No, love... he is here for me. I can't drag you into this." "No! Leah, I told you, you're not a fighter anymore! Now get out of here before--" "Oh I cannot waste my time with this nonsense," Xellos complained. He drew his scythe back and swung it forward, throwing the spinning blade toward the trio. Leah nearly panicked, but she was able to quickly form an ice wall, causing the scythe to lodge into it harmlessly. Seeing the imminent danger this man represented, Sebashin knew that his son had to be taken to safety, and with Leah concentrated on the fight he had no choice but to temporarily retreat to the back room to secure the baby. The sounds of cracking ice and metal clashing, nearly drowned out by Elwin's wails, meant that Xellos had broken through, but at least Leah had found something to defend herself with. The wide arcs of Xellos' scythe belied the skill with which he wielded such a large weapon. Leah wasn't unskilled herself, but it was clear that the long iron curtain rod she was currently using like a spear wouldn't be able to withstand much punishment. Though her ice magic helped to keep Xellos at bay, a fierce slash cut through Leah's weapon, and left her seemingly helpless. Seeing his wife in peril, Sebashin charged forth then, bringing his sword down at Xellos, but unfortunately giving him just enough time to block it. "How endearing," Sebashin heard him say from beneath the mask. "Will it please you to die by your wife's side? You should have listened and taken your mewling infant away when you had the chance." The momentary distraction along with a protective instinct was all that Leah needed to capitalize on the opening. She reached forward and clutch Xellos by the arm, forcing it behind him as her foot slammed into the back of his knee to bring him down. The scythe clattered to the floor and Xellos' mask cracked as his head was pushed hard into the ground as well. "Why are you here? What is the meaning of this attack?" She demanded, twisting her victim's arm painfully. "If you wanted to kill us, we could have been ambushed after being recalled to Iruel. Why attack Moriya?!" Despite the blood seeping out from under his mask, Xellos had an almost jovial tone. "Killing you and Zephon was only a secondary objective... Do not tell me you are so ignorant as to what is truly of value to Iruel? You really are just a mindless whore..." Leah grimaced and shifted the position of her hands, placing her palm on Xellos' forearm and pulling back harshly with her other hand with more strength than Sebashin had ever witnessed of her to crack Xellos' radius and ulna straight through. Even a man of Xellos' discipline couldn't help but cry out in pain from having the bones forcefully snapped. "Next is your back, you sanctimonious pig! Now answer me or I'll--" Leah was interrupted by Grom, who had finally tracked Xellos to their room, along with a host of his guards. It wasn't a moment after Sebashin turned that he was thrust aside by a strong gust and crashed into a table. Leah called out in concern as she saw it, giving Xellos the freedom to swing his good arm around and connect on her jaw with a hard backhand. Grom began to move in to stop the injured paladin, but Xellos was even quicker to his feet. Realizing he couldn't win a fight with all of them, he drew his scythe and raced toward a window to plunge himself through it, disappearing from view. Grom shouted for his guards to tend to Sebashin and Leah before rushing to the window, only to see Xellos gliding safely away. With the enemy paladins dispatched and the Inquisitors inside the castle killed, Moriya's soldiers were able to kill or capture all the invading force within the castle walls, sending the survivors to retreat back toward their city-nation. Slowly, the castle's residents emerged from their rooms, despite the guards demands that they stay put until all was sorted out. Serra and Rayne moved through the halls quickly, as the raven haired angel couldn't wait to find out if her father was alright. Rayne kept up, despite the fact that she was clutching Sofiel close to her. They passed several familiar faces, each survivor bringing them a little comfort on their way to finding Grom. As they turned a corner, they saw Rosetta leaned over with one hand on the wall for support while the other held her head. Serra froze and looked back at Rayne for a moment before running toward her mother to investigate. "Mother? Mother, are you alright? Were you attacked? What happened?" Her questions came quickly and frantically. Full of worry over what happened to her loved ones, she was shaken to see her mother like this. "Leliel?" She asked in a whisper. "Leliel, darling... it is time to go home." Serra grew a bewildered expression as Rosetta's hands slid gently over her cheeks. A sinking feeling came over Rayne as she instinctively stepped forward. With swirling black mist now surrounding the pair, she panicked and ran forward, reaching out desperately toward her wife, but Serra and Rosetta disappeared then in a poof of black feathers, leaving Rayne and Sofiel shocked and alone. Category:Stories